Trevin Parks produced 15 points and five assists, but it was not enough in an 82-65 loss to Livingstone
Box Score vs. Livingstone
Charlotte, NC - The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team showed some fatigue in an 82-65 loss against divisional foe Livingstone College on Saturday evening inside Trent Gymnasium. JCSU ends the regular season 15-10 overall, 11-6 in the CIAA, and 4-6 in the Southern Division; the Blue Bears improve to 14-11 overall, 9-8 conference, and 5-5 in the division. Livingstone claims the No. 3 seed in the tournament and J.C. Smith moves to No. 4.
The Golden Bulls were coasting in the right direction early in the first half. A three pointer from senior guard
Ronald Thornhill (Alberta, VA) with 13:42 on the clock put JCSU ahead 18-9. The Blue Bears closed the gap with a 13-4 scoring run over a four minute span. Scoring remained tight throughout the half.
Livingstone held a 42-37 lead at halftime. Both Johnson C. Smith (15-29) and LC (17-30) shot over 50% from the floor in the opening. The glaring disparity was the Blue Bear bench outscoring JCSU 25-3. Thornhill had 12 points at the break off 50% (5-10) shooting, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Sophomore CIAA Player of the Year and All-CIAA selection
Trevin Parks (Hickory, NC) produced eight points and two assists.
Johnson C. Smith fought back and eventually gained the lead in the second half. Trone Jackson hit two free throws for a 49-48 Blue Bear advantage at the 15:30 mark. Junior guard
James Otey (Roanoke, VA) popped a trey on the other end for a 51-49 JCSU lead. Livingstone responded immediately with a three pointer from Donte Durant.
JCSU seemed to run out of gas towards the midway point of the second period. Parks was successful on two free throws with 14:14 left play for last Golden Bulls lead (53-52) of the game. Johnson C. Smith was outscored 25-8 in the final 12:54 of the contest and 40-28 in the second half en route to a split with their divisional rival.
Thornhill had a game-high 21 points with two assists and rebounds. Parks finished with 15 points and five assists. The J.C. Smith field goal shooting percentage dropped to 36% (9-25) in the second.
Trone Jackson had a team-high 17 points and six assists, followed by Nasir Austin with 15 points. Livingstone played 15 men, which provided more depth on the court.
Johnson C. Smith will await the announcement for the official seeding in the 2011 CIAA Tournament on Sunday, February 27th. It looks like the Golden Bulls will play as the No. 4 seed.
